We believe in hospitality.

The House, established as a non-profit organization in 2018, provides a safe and welcoming off-campus home for Middlebury College students, with a focus on students of color and international students. We celebrate diversity by practicing hospitality. In all kinds of ways, from meals and conversations, rides to the airport or a bed during winter break, we communicate to students that they are loved, valued, and accepted.

The foundations of The House go back to 2011, when my husband at the time and I adopted our son internationally. After he came into our family, we began actively seeking to build relationships with students of color and international students at Middlebury College. We connected with the Distinguished Men of Color and then with the Office of International Students and Scholars. Soon we were getting to know students like Eshetu and Feliz. Then we applied to become a host family and met Armel, who was our first official host student. Through Armel we were meeting more and more students, like Gilbert and James and Maria.  Our home began to be an off-campus gathering place for students from all over the globe. Students came over for Ethiopian dinners of injera and doro wat. Other times it was a Saturday brunch of chilaquiles. As semesters and years passed we became friends with dozens of students. When they came into our home they immediately knew that they had found a place where they could relax and know that they were welcomed and accepted and safe. In many ways our home became their space.

For thirteen years we’ve been sharing meals with students, housing them during breaks, storing their belongings for the summer, and welcoming their families for graduation. Our home has been a place where they eat and sleep, laugh and cry, play and dream. Students of color don’t always feel safe, welcomed or accepted on campus. Here they are always accepted. They know that we love them, and we show that care through our actions.

In the spring of 2018, after consulting with the students about their needs, we applied for our 501c3 nonprofit status. In August 2018, a home was purchased in Middlebury, Vermont, with the intent to create a safe and welcoming space close to campus.  This proximity to the students has allowed relationships to be deepened and support provided for more students. That year several students helped prepare the space, cleaning, painting, and moving furniture in. Then they told their

Questions & Answers

Why The House? Why this student population? You may find an answer to these questions on our website, but there is so much more to the story than what you see here. It has been 6 years since we officially became The House. And I am amazed at the connections we have made over that time. We have walked through some traumatic life events with students, we have celebrated graduations and new careers, we have listened and encouraged.

I often tell our student friends that we are privileged to know them. I consider them the brightest that the world has to offer. And to think that they are sitting at my table, conversing with me is overwhelming. My heart is so full whenever they are here. I can’t imagine my life without them.

Through this blog I hope to share snapshots of our interactions with the population we proudly serve. I hope you will check back to learn more of the story.